


sRGB

by adalheidis



Category: H&D (Korea Band), X1 (Korea Band)
Genre: Mild Hurt/Comfort, Trigger Warning: Disbandment, but this is non-canonical?, i cried while writing this and i genuinely don't know why
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-03
Updated: 2020-07-03
Packaged: 2021-03-04 02:46:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 996
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24986290
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/adalheidis/pseuds/adalheidis
Summary: Dohyon, who relies solely on synesthesia to experience even a sliver of the emotions normal people do, reminisces on his past with the older brother who taught him how to feel color.
Relationships: Lee Hangyul & Nam Dohyon
Comments: 5
Kudos: 12
Collections: Challenge #2 — Rainbow





	sRGB

“Hello there, tan boy!”

“Tan boy? Isn’t that a bit of a strange way to greet someone?”

Dohyon’s body burns like an overheating computer.

Dohyon is familiar with embarrassment. The sudden rise in temperature is usual for Dohyon who is washed over by anxiety whenever he has to meet other kids. Just as miscommunication is usual for Dohyon who cannot see color and views other peoples' skin as different shades of grey.

The truth is, Dohyon had only called his companion a tan boy because he smelled similar to sweet bark about to be extracted of tannin.

“M’sorry,” Dohyon mutters under his breath.

The other boy laughs in reply, brushing his hair back coolly before using the same hand to pinch Dohyon’s nose.

“Idiot. Just call me Hangyul.”

_Blue. The sense of security that Hangyul provides the fearful me exudes the color blue._

* * *

Hangyul takes out from a bag what appears to be a stack of thinned trees tied together by thread.

“Woah...” Dohyon’s jaw drops, “What is that?”

“A notebook.”

Dohyon is aware of notebooks; in fact, the one Dohyon owns leaves a taste of metal in his mouth whenever he uses it.

“I have one too! But why does my notebook not have nearly as many pages as yours? It doesn’t go flippity-flip either, it just shines a light at me and hurts my eyes!”

“Hmm, I don’t know Dohyonnie. Maybe your notebook has a different purpose from mine. Say, what do you do with your notebook?”

“I play notes and I put together music!”

“Do you like music?”

“Yes! I like-like super like music!”

_Green. Hangyul’s open insights that give me opportunities to renew myself exude the color green._

* * *

Hangyul’s small but sturdy hand drags Dohyon away from the playground they usually sit at and into a small shop where the atmosphere is chilly and the air constricts Dohyon’s throat. 

But then Hangyul presses on three large, tooth-like buttons on a giant wooden box and Dohyon’s mind clears.

_Red. The passion that Hangyul digs deep into my soul to retrieve exudes the color red._

“What is that?” Dohyon asks in awe.

“You always ask me questions. This time, why don't you tell me what you saw, Dohyonnie?”

“The image of my notebook flashed in my head. B-but it looked different! Hey Hangyul-hyung, what does red, green, blue mean?”

“This is a piano. I just played a G major chord. And that sound produces the same waves that your notebook’s three primary colors do.”

From there on, Dohyon’s hearing starts to fade but Hangyul’s mouth continues moving. _Hangyul-hyung, what are you saying?_ No matter how hard Dohyon tries to squint his eyes through the glowing shine Hangyul emits, he cannot seem to make out the words. What Dohyon can tell, however, is that his world is suddenly vibrant. 

* * *

Gasping Dohyon shoots up from his bed.

Time, time, time… 5:15 A.M. on the LED clock.

Dohyon groans and drops heavily back into his sheets. _What am I doing, having a dream like that?_

Hangyul is a person Dohyon spent his greatest moments with: getting scouted by an agency together, training together, and disbanding together. Until came a time in which Dohyon had to choose between following his brother’s back or producing music with the accompaniment of microphones and monitors.

Dohyon chose the latter. And what Dohyon hates more than having made such a mistake is that Hangyul encouraged him, leaving Dohyon alone with nothing but a whisper that “the industry is counting on you”. They haven’t met since. 

Now, Dohyon is working part-time at a warm, homely restaurant having returned to his hometown after he lost his momentum and his best friend.

“Dohyon! Please serve table six!” 

“Yes sir!” Dohyon answers automatically like a lifeless robot, constantly prepared to take down his next customer’s orders.

Only, he wishes he had thought twice before stepping out of the workers’ area.

“Dohyon? Is that you?”

* * *

“Eunsang!” Dohyon yells in shock.

“You work here?”

“It makes sense that Dohyon works at a place like this. Hangyul used to feed him a lot back in the days, right?” Seungyoun quips light-heartedly from another side of the table making Dohyon fidget nervously.

“Why didn’t you just tell us you were busy instead of ghosting the invitation to our reunion dinner?” Eunsang pries gently, ignoring his elder’s remark.

If Dohyon had known that his previous bandmates were coming to the restaurant he worked at for their reunion dinner, he would have slept in longer.

“Ahh, I’m sorry. I guess I forgot to reply.”

“Don’t worry about that,” Eunsang takes a pause, hesitating and contemplating whether to say his next words, “...Hangyul-hyung was really upset-”

The bell hanging on the door of the restaurant jingles, cutting off Eunsang’s words.

“ _You..._ ”

Up Dohyon's nose wafts the scent of oak, not the vanilla-y white oak but rather the unpleasant stench of red oak, and Dohyon's gut instantly floods with guilt.

Color- Dohyon hadn’t seen color in years. But why does the color have to be the pathetic red rimming Hangyul’s trembling eyes.

“You didn’t do anything wrong, Dohyonnie,” Hangyul’s voice cracks and his walking is unsteady.

The second Hangyul leans his head on Dohyon’s shoulder and gathers the younger in an embrace, Dohyon lets his own tears fall, “Are you disappointed now that you’ve found out I quit music?”

“Stupid. I already knew,” Hangyul sobs, “I looked everywhere for you! I looked everywhere so I could tell you that it’s okay. Our idol career failing, you quitting… none of it was your fault. Nobody ever blamed you. So stop feeling sad alone. That breaks my heart.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Idiot.”

_I remember now, what I couldn’t hear in my dream. Back then, you told me to treasure the things that fill my world with color._

_For me, that thing is not music like I originally believed. Music only sounds colorful when you are singing along with it. Because you make me feel colorful._


End file.
